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I have a habit of reading the news before I get into work. In winter, I get up grab my iPad from the study and get back into bed and read various news sites. I may walk out onto the balcony and take a photo of the sunrise on the way… 😉

This habit makes me money. Seriously.  Let me tell you how.

One morning last week, I read that President Barrack Obama tweeted for the first time from @POTUS (President Of The United States). His first tweet caught the attention of ex-president Bill Clinton which evolved into a witty Twitter exchange between the two politicians:

Tweets

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do you think of this? A witty exchange between two leaders? Obama has a POTUS Twitter account, who cares?

I think….what a great story. I wonder if I can wrap an angle around it and pitch it out so I can make a media comment on it.

When I got into the office I pitched to a journalist at the AFR who writes about social media and technology. My clients (and potential clients) read the AFR, so that’s a good publication for me.

I wrote:

“I can explain how Obama is using Twitter as another vehicle to showcase his carefully crafted personal brand – one that is accessible and compelling to people from many walks of life. Obama has been very smart in his use of media, and now social media, to build a personal brand that shows him as human, intelligent, strong, patriotic, and someone who doesn’t mind making fun of himself.”

“I can discuss what business leaders can learn from Obama’s own personal brand and why it’s important when creating one to have a well thought out brand personality, brand messages and to stick to a specific niche. Please let me know if this is of interest, I’d love to chat with you”.

It got picked up immediately. I did the interview and it was syndicated across the Australian Financial Review (AFR), Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) and NZ Business.

Then I got a call from a prospective client, asking me for a new business meeting, saying he had read the article and wanted to build his personal brand and business profile. Boom! This happens often when I’m featured in the media.

Your opinions, when shared with the media, can make you money. So start thinking about how you can pitch your ideas today!

PS. Want a bunch of cheat sheets on how to pitch to the media just like this? I have complied25 media pitches and 25 media releases that have resulted millions of dollars of media coverage in my Unknown To Expert Acceleration pack at unknowntoexpertfaster.com. Get your copy today!

Tweetable: Reap the rewards of sharing your opinions, ideas and content @catrionapollardhttp://bit.ly/1GzkNky

Fast track your journey from unknown to a recognised expert and thought leader! Buy Catriona’s book From Unknown To Expert: How to use clever PR and social media to become a recognised expert. Accelerate your personal brand with the Unknown To Expert Acceleration Pack, packed with media lists, blogger lists, blog posts and media releases formats which have generated millions of dollars in coverage, more than 73 templates and so much more. 

There can be times when you know you have a great story, know it would be perfect for a certain outlet; so how can you get a journalist to read your media release over the hundreds they get in their inbox every day?

I took this question to one of Australia’s most respected and prolific freelance journalists, Valerie Khoo, to help you understand how to get into the mind of a journalist and get your story heard.

How does a journalist look for a story?
You have three paragraphs to make an impression. Valerie says, “I read the first three paragraphs properly and skim the rest.” If you haven’t put forward your case by then, or if your story really doesn’t make sense, your media release will be deleted!

However, if it does contain the seed of a good idea, or does have a strong angle, she will go to the next step and consider whether it is going to fit into the angles she is covering at the moment.

What does a newsworthy angle look like?
The media looks for stories that have news value. A newsworthy story has to have an angle that is topical – something that is relative to the time of year, month, season, an event or a trend that is topical at the moment.

If it isn’t topical, the story must be compelling and interesting. Typically, these are stories which appeal to human emotion and aim to evoke an emotional response, such as sadness or amusement.

What are the ultimate media release fails?

  • Spelling a name wrong (yes, it does happen!). The journalist is going to think, “They got a name wrong, what other incorrect facts are there?”
  • Pitching to a journalist who doesn’t cover that industry. They are never going to look at your media release when it isn’t relevant to them.
  • Burying your point in the media release. Remember, they aren’t reading past paragraph three.

Journalists want to hear from you! They have to write stories, so use this advice to pitch ideas that will get cut through and start offering yourself as an expert to the media today.

Here’s to seeing you in the spotlight.

ABOUT CATRIONA POLLARD

Catriona Pollard Speaker and Trainer in Social Media